Sheet-metal structure and method of making the same



.June 22 1926. v

-J-. c. SHEFFNER SHEET METAL STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAMEFiled Jan. 12, 1923 Patented June 22, 1926.

JOHN C. SHEFFNER. 0F ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

SHEET-METAL STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed January 12, 1923.. Serial No. 612,252.

This invention relates in general to metal structures, and isexemplified herein in a sheet metal container adapted to be used forvarious purposes, and in the method of manufacturing the same.

One of the primary purposes of this invention is to provide a structurein which the top and bottom walls may be secured to the side walls so asto provide a tight and durable joint which will present no sharp exposededges, but which will be relatively smooth so that the articles may behandled and slid one over another without catching together.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure in which oneof the walls, the top wall for instance, is made separately from thebody and may be readily and securely attached thereto after thestructure has been assembled, providing a tight and durable joint bywhich the top and bottom are locked to the body and which may also bereadily unlocked when access tothe interior of the structure is desired.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readilyappreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawmgs.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a structureembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partially in section, of the construction shownin Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are perspective detail sectional views showingsuccessive positions of the parts during the operation of assemblingparts; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing an additional reinforcement.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, reference character 6indicates generally the body of the container comprising side and endwalls, which may be formed from a si1igle sheet of metal and bent intothe desired rectangular, or other, shape, the ends of the sheet beingsecured together by welding, looking, or riveting, as preferred.- Tothis body the top 7 and bottom 8 are attached in accordance with myimproved method, which will now be described. 1

Since both the top and bottom are attached t -i the body in the samemanner, a tltttllad explanation of the attachment of one of thesemembers will suflice for an understanding of my invention. The body isformed, as previously stated, preferably from a single sheet of metal,and the marguns of this metal, to which the top and bottom are to besubsequently attached, are shaped as shown in Fig. 3, from which it willbe observed that near its edges the metal is bent back upon itself, asindicated by reference character 9, and then bent outwardly andupwardly, leaving the projecting marginal edge or skirt 11 disposedparallel with the main wall of the body and spaced therefrom to providethe open topped groove 12, the width of which is substantially equal tothe thickness of the metal sheet from which the top and bottom 7 and 8are formed. This formation of the edges of the body member extendsthroughoutthe length of'the member so that when it is bent into the formof a container body the upwardly projecting edge 11 and the groove 12extend entirely around the perimeter of the body. In the structureillustrated the edge 11 15 cut at the corners, as will be apparent fromFig. 2; but obviously in differently shaped structures such cuttingmight be eliminated. The top and bottom 8 are similarly formed, aspreviously stated, and referring -to the top 7 it will be-observedfrom'Fig. 3

that the sheet metal from which the top is formed is bent near itsmargin to provide the transversely extending groove 13, and beyond thisgroove is bent outwardly and thence downwardly providing a downwardlyopening groove 14 adapted to receive the folded portion 9 of the body,and adownwardly extending flange 15 adapted to fit into the groove 12 ofthe body. When it is desired to lock the top or bottom, as the case maybe, to the body, the procedure is as follows:

The top, for instance, is first set in position, as shown in Fig. 4,with the flange 15 disposed in the groove 12 and the folded portion 9 ofthe body disposed in the groove 14 of the top. The upwardly projectingmargin 11 is then folded inwardly and downwardly into the groove 13,thus securely locking the top to the body as illustrated in Fig. 5. Itwill be observed that when the locking is completed no sharp orprojecting edges are exposed, as pnly rounded sun race: are presumed; anah will not with into one another when the structures are piled or slidone over the other. Furthermore, the upper face of the margin 11 whenbent into and locked in the groove 13 is disposed slightly beneath theupper plane of the main portion of the cover 7, so that no projectionwhatever is adorded outside the plane of the cover which might interferewith the sliding movements of the structure.

The joint thus produced securely locks the top to the body and providesa tight joint which effectually protects the contents of a containerentirely around the perimeter thereof. VJ hen it is desired to removethe cover, the joint can be readily unlocked by simply running a toolbeneath the folded margin 11, so as to bend it outwardly into theposition shown in Fig. l, whereupon the cover may be lifted oil. Thestructure, therefore, is adapted for repeated use, since the sheet metalfrom which it is formed is capable of being bent to loci: and unlock thejoint between the top and the body a great many times without injury tothe metal.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a method of reinforcing the lower portionof the groove 12 so as to preclude the same from bending outwardly awayfrom the wall 6 under the leverage exerted thereon by the bending of themargin 11 inwardly over the cover. The reinforcement comprises a rib orflange 16 formed by bending the metal of the body outwardly and upwardlyso as to embrace the lower portion of the flange 11, thus securelyholding the same against displacement. In many forms of structures thisreinforcement maybe dispensed with.

It is believed that my improved structure and its preferred method ofmanufacture will be understood from the foregoing without furtherdescription, and it should be obvious that the details of constructionand the method of ass-en'ibly may be varied within considerable limitswithin the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal structure comprising saeet metal walls, the margin ofone wall being provided with a groove and terminating outside of saidgroove in a downwardly extending flange and the margin of an adjacentwall being bent back upon itself and then folded. over said flange withits edge disposed in said groove, whereby to locl: said walls together.

A. sheet metal structure comprising sheet metal walls, the margins ofone wall. being bent downwardly, then upwardly and then downwardly toprovide oppositely 'l'acing grooves and a downwardly extending marginalflange, the margins of adjacent walls being folded upon themselves andthen bent upwardly to provide a flange receiving groove and an outwardlyextending flange, the flange of the first mentioned wall being disposedwithin the groove of the second mentioned wall and locked thereto bysaid projecting flange of the second mentioned wall which is folded intothe outwardly opening groove of the first mentioned wall.

3. A sheet metal structure comprising vertical walls shaped at theiredges to provide a folded portion, a groove and a marginal extension,and a top shaped at its edges to provide an outwardly opening groove andan inwardly opening groove adapted to receive the folded portion of thevertical Walls, said marginal extension being bent inwardly and disposedin said outwardly opening groove of the cover.

4;. A sheet metal structure comprising vertical walls shaped to providethe upper margin thereof with an upwardly opening groove reinforced atits bottom, the outer wall of said groove being extended upwardly toform a marginal flange, and a top having a margin shaped to provide anupwardly opening groove and a tongue adapted to enter the side wallgroove, the marginal flange of said side wall being folded over the faceof said tongue and into the upwardly opening groove of said top.

5. A sheet metal structure comprising side walls bent backwardly uponthemselves and thence upwardly to provide an upwardly opening groove,the outer wall of which'extends beyond the groove to provide amarginalflange, the metal of said walls being folded outwardly and upwardly toembrace the lower portion of said groove for reinforcing purposes, and atop having a{ flange adapted to fit the said groove and provided with agroove adapted to receive the inwardly bent edge of said marginalflange.

6. The method of making sheet metal structures which consists in foldingthe metal of the vertical walls back upon itself and bending the marginback parallel with the walls but spaced from said folded portion toprovide a groove, reinforcing the lower portion of said groove byfolding the metal of said walls beneath the grooves outwardly andupwardly so as to embrace the outer wall of said groove, bending theedges of a ,cover to form an outwardly opening groove and a downwardlyextending flange adapted to enter the groove of said side walls, andthen bending the marginal extension of said side walls over said flangeand into said outwardly opening groove to lock said walls and covertogether.-

JOHN C. SHEFFNER.

